Lal Ded

Lal Ded

Kashmir
has produced many saints, poets and mystics. Among them, Lal Ded
is very prominent. In Kashmir, some people consider her a poet, some consider
her a holywoman and some consider her a sufi, a yogi, or a devotee of Shiva.
Sume even consider her an avtar. But every Kashmiri considers her a wise
woman. Every Kashmiri has some sayings of Lalla on the tip of his tongue.
The Kashmiri language is full of her sayings.

Kashmiri Hindus and
Muslims affectionately call her "Mother Lalla" or "Granny Lalla". She is
also called "Lallayogeshwari". Some people call her Lalla, the mystic.

It is said that Lal
Ded was born in 1355 in Pandrethan to a Kashmiri Pandit family. Even as
a child, Lalla was wise and religious-minded. When Lalla was twelve years
old, she was married. Her in-laws lived in Pampur. The in-laws gave her
the name Padmavati. Her mother-in-law was very cruel. She never gave her
any peace. It is claimed that her mother-in-law used to put a stone on
Lalla's plate (tha:l). She would then cover the stone with rice so that
people would get the impression that Lalla had a plateful of rice. Lalla
would remain half fed, but would never complain about her mother-in-law.
Her father-in-law was a good man and he was kind to her, but her mother-in-law
made her miserable. She would even speak ill of Lalla to her husband. Poor
Lalla knew no happiness either with her husband or with her mother-in-law.

When Lalla was twenty-six
she renounced the family and became a devotee of Shiva. Like a mad person,
she would go around naked.

She became a disciple
of Sidh Srikanth. She would only keep the company of sadhus and pi:rs.
She did not think in terms of men and women. She would claim that she had
yet to encounter a man, and that is why she went about naked. But when
she saw Shah Hamdan, she hid herself saying: "I saw a man, I saw a man."

Why is Lalla so famous
in Kashmir? She was illiterate, but she was wise. Her sayings are full
of wisdom. In these sayings, she dealt with everything from life, yoga,
and God to dharma and a:tma:. Her riddles are on the lips of every Kashmiri.

The exact date of Lalla's
death is not known. It is claimed that she died in Bijbehara (vejibro:r).
People like Granny Lalla do not really die. Lal Ded is alive in her sayings
and in the hearts of Kashmiris.

Five Sayings of Lal
Ded

I

By a way I came, but
I went not by the way.While I was yet on
the midst of the embankmentwith its crazy bridges,
the day failed for me.I looked within my
poke, and not a cowry came to hand(or, atI, was there).What shall I give for
the ferry-fee?(Translated by G. Grierson)

II

Passionate, with longing
in mine eyes,Searching wide, and
seeking nights and days,Lo' I beheld the Truthful
One, the Wise,Here in mine own House
to fill my gaze.(Translated by R.C.
Temple)

III

Holy books will disappear,
and then only the mystic formula will remain.When the mystic formula
departed, naught but mind was left.When the mind disappeared
naught was left anywhere,And a voice became
merged within the Void.(Translated by G. Grierson)

IV

You are the heaven and
You are the earth,You are the day and
You are the night,You are all pervading
air,You are the sacred
offering of rice and flowers and of water;You are Yourself all
in all,What can I offer You?

V

With a thin rope of
untwisted threadTow I ever my boat
o'er the sea.Will God hear the prayers
that I have said?Will he safely over
carry me?Water in a cup of unbaked
clay,Whirling and wasting,
my dizzy soulSlowly is filling to
melt away.Oh, how fain would
I reach my goal.